Karela Ghosh (Lamb with Bittergourd)

1 Kg Mutton (lamb) cut into bite size pcs ( I used boneless meat)
4-5 (approx 500-600 gms)Karela (bittergourd) cut into thin rounds, remove the seeds.
5 big onions (thinly sliced)
3 big tomatoes (roughly chopped)
3-4 green chillies (whole)
1 tsp red chilly powder
1/2 tsp pepper powder
2 tsp coriander powder
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
1 tsp cumin powder
2 tsp amchur (dry mango powder)
3 black cardamoms
2 pcs of 1/2 inch cinnamon
2 1/2 tsp Salt

Preparation Method :

1. In a bowl add 1 tsp salt , add the karela thin slices & leave it over night as it
will remove the bitterness from the gourd. Squeeze out the water from karela.

2. Take a frying pan, add 5-6 tbsp of oil, once the pan is hot fry the karela till it
is crisp & dark golden brown in colour. Keep it aside.



3. Pressure cook the mutton with 1 tsp of salt and 1 cup of water till it is tender.

4. In a pot take 5-6 tbsp of oil, once hot add the thinly sliced onions, fry well
till it turns dark brown, now add the chopped ginger and garlic, fry for another 2
minutes. Add the chopped tomatoes and fry till it is very mushy & leaves oil.

5. Add the spice powders, fry for another minute.

6. Add the boiled mutton with water stock. Add the whole green chillies. Close the
lid and leave it on slow flame for 5 minutes.

7. Check and adjust the salt. Put off the flame.

8. Add the fried karela, mix it well.

Serve it with roti, chappati or naan.

Stir Fried Karela ( Bitter Gourd) in a Chinese Sauce

If you thought Karela was bitter, think again. Karela is more of an exotic vegetable and I always thought it would be interesting to try to change the way people cook it. I have been wanting to try to make Karela in such a way so as to remove the bitterness out of it and make it Yummilicious.

All you got to do is slice the karela the way you like and then toss a bit of salt over it. Let it rest for a couple of hours and then squeeze the karela to let the water come out. Once this is done you are ready to cook it anyway you wish. I tried something different and even Sabrina enjoyed it a lot.

You need
2 big Karela’s – cut it and put around less than 1 teaspoon salt into the cut karela.
1 tbsp Chopped Garlic
1/2 Medium Onion – chopped fine
1 to 2 green chillies chopped fine
2 tbs Soya Sauce
1 tbsp ketchup
1 tbsp Vinegar
½ cup Spring Onions sliced
Oil

Heat oil in a wok or any dish you prefer, add the garlic and onions and let it fry a bit, add the chillies and fry for another minute. Add the Soya Sauce, ketchup, vinegar and fry for another few minutes. Squeeze the water out of the Karela and add it to the Wok. Let it fry well and cook it for sometime until the vegetable is well done. Around 7 to 10 minutes. If the sauce mixture dries up add a little water to keep it moist and to prevent it from burning. Add Spring Onions and stir fry for another minute. Serve hot.

You can add oyster sauce and some brown sugar instead of ketchup.

Do let me know if you find the karela bitter.